Fire Weaver (Fall of the Fey #1)

Chapter 9

Carmel and Zereth walked into Deadly's Sin not long after the sunset had spread across the cloudy sky turning it into an array of pinks, oranges, and yellows. Faux was back behind the bar and Deadly was sitting in front of it reading a piece of paper that was curling at the edges. A dove flapped it's wings beside him before settling back into its sitting position and began to clean it's feathers.

'The Gargoyles are going to help.' Deadly said without looking up, Carmel jumped surprised that he had noticed their entry. 'They will be looking after the injured if any injuries do occur.'

Carmel sat down on the barstool to the right of Deadly and folded her arms on the bar. 'The vampire hunters are coming tonight, right?'

Deadly nodded frowning at the rest of the note, Carmel leaned over to get a peek at what it said but Deadly looked up and shifted the note away. The dove cooed at them and took flight, soaring at the closed window. Carmel gasped. The dove, however, did not halt its movements and flew straight through the window. It didn't shatter and the dove didn't die on impact. It simply went through as though the window wasn't there.

'How is that possible?' She whispered to herself.

'You learn not to ask that question.' Faux responded. He looked at her with a mischief dancing in his eyes. His gaze shifted to something behind her and Carmel saw the light in the room flare brighter then darker and turned in time to see the Fire Ward stumble through a candle flame sitting on one of the tables. Vivalda looked around saw the three people staring at her and straightened herself and her clothes.

'Carmel!' She said her voice warm and happy. She walked forward and Carmel stood to embrace her elder. 'I have come with news. Who are these?' Carmel looked over her shoulder at Deadly and Faux before telling Vivalda their names. 'Let me guess, you introduced her to demons.' Vivalda stared Zereth down and he turned away as if ashamed. Carmel's brow furrowed at the exchange, she didn't think that the demons where bad.

'What's the news you have?' Deadly asked Vivalda, whose face twisted with disgust when her gaze landed on him. Carmel had never seen that look cross her teacher's face before. It was startling. As a girl, Carmel had seen it on many of the Fey when they looked down on her. She'd never expected that Vivalda, who had that look thrown her way often enough herself, would every look at someone that way.

'I can't believe you are staying here.' Vivalda stated turning back to Carmel, 'don't worry, Sweetie, now I'm here I can take you to a lovely hotel just up the way from here.' Carmel had been watching Deadly's face darken as Vivalda spoke and responded before he could say anything.

'I'm not sure it matters because we are meeting with the vampire hunters to see if they'll help with the necromancer.' She told Vivalda hoping to avoid a confrontation.

'Humans? Really? And whose plan was that?' Vivalda asked her eyes darted to Deadly.

Carmel had enough by that stage. 'Vivalda, Deadly has been kind to me. He can't help where he's from or what he is and he has offered to help, so can you not?'

Vivalda burst into flames, blue and green, and bright. Zereth flinched, but Deadly seemed unimpressed by the show of power.

'I am your Fire Ward, Carmel, how dare you speak to me in such a way. Have you forgotten your teachings? You have lost your way.' Vivalda said. Carmel opened her mouth to speak, but Vivalda spoke over her, 'you are to help the humans, not the Supernaturals. Perhaps we have been wrong to think that you would be able to handle this.'

Carmel's mind caught on to her last words, 'you sent me out so that I'd find Zereth on purpose?'

Vivalda seemed surprised and was instantly cowed. The flames faded and she was once again the beautiful almost-human looking body that hid her true self.